Eli Manning earns ugly PFF grade after loss to Steelers

Eli Manning earns ugly PFF grade after loss to Steelers

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is known for his big-time performances in the games that matter most. But in their first meaningful December game since 2011, Manning and the Giants came up limp, losing 24-14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

Quarterback grade:

Eli Manning, 38.6

Manning unable to get in a rhythm with anyone outside of OBJ

It felt like Eli Manning tried to force-feed the ball to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in this game, and OBJ wound up with double the number of targets of any other Giants receiver. On 16 targets, Beckham caught 10 passes for 100 yards, but didn’t get in the end zone and did drop a pass. Manning struggled throwing deep, missing on all three passes of 20 or more yards, including an interception. Under pressure, Manning was solid, completing six of 11 attempts for 70 yards and a touchdown, resulting in a 104.4 passer rating. When given time, Manning struggled against the Steelers’ Cover-2 scheme, averaging just 4.6 yards per attempt and a passer rating of 58.4 from a clean pocket.

Ironically, Manning’s struggles came on the same day his offensive line graded out with one of their best all-around performances. All but one (Ereck Flowers) received grades high enough to put them in the top five on the team.

Top offensive grades:

Defensively, things shook out as they appeared at first glance. Cornerback Eli Apple and defensive end Olivier Vernon had big days while defensive tackle Damon Harrison, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (prior to his injury) and others played adequately.

Top defensive grades:

Giants’ front seven struggles to get pressure

The Giants defense played OK in this one, but needed an excellent performance to shut down the high-powered Steelers’ attack. DE Olivier Vernon was excellent rushing the passer, recording two sacks and four hurries on 40 pass-rush snaps. Rookie CB Eli Apple allowed just three catches for 27 yards and recorded an interception. Damon Harrison added to his league-leading total of run stops among defensive tackles with five against Pittsburgh.

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Overall this was not the start to December the Giants wanted. Their loss puts the Dallas Cowboys into the playoffs and up three games in the NFC East. It also trims their wildcard lead down a game and creates much more pressure to win moving forward — something easier said than done with a brutal upcoming schedule.

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